Nerds in the Wild: Expedition Update July 17, 2013

Expedition Prep

As the expedition prep enters its last weeks, most of the prep work is completed. A few minor purchases of equipment remain, as does the purchasing of the consumables (food and fuel). The focus this week was getting into the training routine for the final push to the finish. It is my goal to focus on stamina, swimming and/or climbing a minimum of 4 hours a week, with some hiking to hit any muscle groups missed by the other training. I'm not pushing super hard (earlier this year I was training 7-8 hours a week) because 1- I want to avoid injury, and 2- it's summer, and my weekends are filled with family fun and outings.

Gear Purchases

I did get to MEC on the weekend, but made no purchases there, as my budget for the week was used up on the purchase of new boots. My new boots are pretty much identical to the old boots (except the new ones are black). Normally, I would avoid a pair of $29.99 Walmart hiking boots, but their predecessors proved their worth, and I don't feel the need to change things up. The new boots aren't greeting my feet like old friends like my old ones do, but I'm wearing them constantly to get them worn in in time. I haven't thrown out the old boots, so if for some reason I can't wear in the new ones in time, I'll take the old ones.